When you tell someone you’re writing a book, they might picture you spending hours at your computer, ideally in a comfy chair with a great view. That is certainly the ideal of the writing life.
But it’s not often reality.
Many of us do not live in that ideal writing world. We live with busy schedules and interruptions, being pulled in several directions at once. That doesn’t leave much time to work on the book we’re trying to write.
Lately, I’ve been trying to work on my writing five minutes at a time. I keep a paragraph, idea, or rough section on my phone notes. When I have a few minutes, I open that note and flesh out that section. After that section is completed in rough draft form, I can paste it back into my manuscript on my computer.
It’s not ideal. I would much rather sit at my computer with the full document open and work on it for an hour at a time. But with my schedule right now, that’s not likely to happen. By making the most of those five-minute windows on my phone notes, I’m still making progress on my writing project.
With this strategy:
- I make the most of short windows of time.
- My project stays fresh in mind, which means I’m likely to think about it even when I’m not writing.
- Those notes are a place to collect my ideas as they come to mind.
- I create momentum, which is helpful for any large writing project.
Focused writing sessions are still important for moving a project along. I try to schedule those as I’m able. But this five-minute strategy helps me keep momentum during busy times.
When you’re working on a long writing project like a book, every bit of writing counts. Bits and pieces expand into chapters over time. It’s great to see that small note expand and finally end up pasted back into the manuscript, a whole paragraph or section done.
If your life is as busy as mine, your writing time might not seem ideal right now. But you can still make progress, five minutes at a time.
Janet Eriksson 